The impact of COVID-19 on submissions, deadlines and meetings with competition authorities in CEE

Country

Submissions

Deadlines

Meetings, hearings and

access to file

Albania

The Authority is closed. Will accept filings and submissions only via email until further notice.

For now, no impact on the Authority's filing and review deadlines.

Still uncertain whether the case handlers are actually operative or not.

Austria

Filings should be submitted using the authority's new online submission tool.

Phase 1 of filings pending as per 22/03 will continue as per usual.

Phase 1 of new filings submitted until 30/04 will only start on 1/05 and end on 29/05

Pending Phase 2 reviews will be stopped and start anew as from 01/05

New requests for Phase 2 reviews submitted until 30/04 will only start on 01/05.

All meetings cancelled at least until the end of March.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Authority accepting filings and submissions only via mail (filings not accepted in person, as entering the building is prohibited).

For now, no impact on the Authority's filing and review deadlines.

Courts' working hours restricted. Hearings are postponed, except for urgent matters.

Bulgaria

Filings still can be made in the office of the Commission. Submission electronically or by mail is recommended.

The state of emergency applies until 13/04.

Procedural terms under proceedings before the Commission are suspended while the state of emergency is in force.

All hearings are suspended until 13/04.

Scheduled hearings are postponed. The parties will be notified about the new date of the hearings.

Case check-ups should be done primarily via the contact details (phone, e-mail) given for the proceedings.

Third-party access to the CPC is limited, except for access to the Registry Office.

The work of the courts in Bulgaria, including the work of the administrative courts, has also been largely suspended from 16 March to 13 April; therefore, hearings on appeals of the CPC's decisions are also postponed.

Croatia

The Authority is operational, but accepts only e-mail and post filings.

The Authority's review deadlines should not be affected.

Courts are still operational, but all hearings are rescheduled and entering the court is prohibited (save for exceptional cases) until further notice.

All meetings are cancelled until 20 April.

Czech Republic

Filings will not be affected, since they are generally submitted via electronic data box.

Deadlines should not be affected.

Access to file will be granted electronically (subject to explicit consent by the party)

Access to confidential information will not be available for inspection at all. Should such information be needed as evidence, the Authority will not issue a decision in such cases for the time being.

Court hearings are being postponed, except in urgent cases.

Hungary

The authority accepts filings and submissions in writing (only electronically or per post) and no personal submissions are allowed for the moment.

Deadlines of the authority and against decisions of the authority are not affected. However, phase 2 merger control cases may take longer than usual if third parties are approached.

Personal hearings at the authority as well as before courts are suspended for the time being. The case handlers can be reached per email. Prenotification talks can be conducted over the phone

Kosovo

No specific information on the Authority is publicly available.

The Authority's review deadlines should not be affected.

Montenegro

The Authority is still operational, accepts filings and submissions only by e-mail.

The Authority's review deadlines should not be affected.

Meetings with the parties are not allowed.

North Macedonia

The Authority accepts merger control filings and other submissions in person on working days from 9AM to 1PM.

All deadlines are suspended as of 24 March 2020. If a deadline started running before 24 March, the remaining number of days towards the deadline will start once the state of emergency is lifted (no date set or anticipated).

This includes deadlines for the parties as well as for the Authority.

Third-party and internal meetings are cancelled.

Poland

No update from the Authority ‎regarding how they proceed with their cases.

Court hearings have been suspended until 31 March, except in urgent cases.

Romania

Merger filings will be submitted via email and/or registered mail.

There is no clarity on how this may affect review deadlines.

Court hearings are being postponed, except in urgent cases.

Serbia

The Authority is still operational, accepts merger control filings in person during regular working hours (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and other submission by e-mail.

All deadlines for the Authority and parties to proceedings are suspended, until 30 days following the lifting of the state of emergency (no date set or anticipated).

This includes the deadlines to file notifications and respond to RFIs by the parties, as well the deadline for the Authority to issue decisions / clearances.

Meetings are cancelled.

Slovakia

The Authority prefers electronic or telephone communication and electronic submission of any filings.

Deadlines should not be affected.

Court hearings are being postponed, except in urgent cases.

Slovenia

21/03: Authority invites undertakings to postpone M&A activities and merger control filings as much as possible

Merger control filings and other submissions can be submitted electronically.

20/03: stand-still on deadlines until 1/07 in all administrative and judicial proceedings (i.e. material as well as procedural deadlines), except for the urgent matters adopted and will enter into effect likely end of this week.

21/03: Authority notes there might be delays in issuing decision.

The stand still will also affect meetings and hearings.

Turkey

No measures known to date.